Tertiary: What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks?
by Acepilot6
Summary: Long distance relationships are hard. Phil DeVille uses a weekend trip to Oakland to make his a little easier. PK, part of the Tertiary storyline, takes place between Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 of the main fic.


**What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks?  
**Acepilot

AN – A part of the "Tertiary" story, Phil's second outtake (the first was "The Dawn"). This is his weekend in Oakland. Lor's will be done soonish. This was written quicker than anything I've done in years: I was really pleased with it. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer – Characters from AGU are property of KlaskyCsupo, while characters from The Weekenders are property of Disney. Phil butchers some Shakespeare somewhere in there, too.

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I glance back at the building where I left Lor not fifteen minutes ago and I'd like to think I can see a light on now. I smile with a sense of optimism: tonight's the night for her. Tonight, she gets to tell this Tino guy how she feels, and not before time. It's hard to watch your friend going through that kind of pain – even a friend you've just made, and even if the pain is simply not knowing if someone you love loves you back.

It's strange: I spent so long with such a secure and unwavering group of friends, that I never really looked outside of it for support or friendship. Our group was all I had – or needed. Then one morning I woke up and realised Lil had gone to O-Week at Northwestern; that Kimi was gone to Oakland; that Tommy was leaving for New York and that Chuckie was even long gone, overseas on his little adventure. And I was _alone_. Not just alone, but left behind, while my friends went off on their own little adventures, off into their own little worlds. My friends, my _girlfriend_, were gone.

So I think it's understandable that I greeted the first few weeks of my tertiary education with something less than eagerness. Here I was – away from home, away from my friends, and with no experience working new people into my life. I was screwed.

And then, out of the blue, I get run into and grievously injured by someone who is going through the exact same problems I am. And, just as miraculously considering our problems making new friends, we hit it off. Lor has unquestionably gotten me through my first few weeks of college, and I hope I've helped her through a rough time as well. And everything that we've been through together in this short time has just helped our friendship along. And so, I decided this weekend would be the weekend I finally got to help her, the one where I took her to do something that needed to be done.

If it turns out he doesn't feel the same, then we'll drive back tomorrow morning, with her a little sadder, but I know it's something she needs either way. And if he does feel the same, then…well, sometimes life seems like it all might pan out after all, and the good times roll on for a change.

And speaking of good times…

I look up at the building where I now find myself, doing a bit of arithmetic in my head, counting out windows and trying to remember the address she gave me. I didn't think I'd be using it so soon, but…well, I'm not so utterly selfless in my friendship with Lor that I'll deny myself a few perks along the way.

I pick up a handful of gravel from the loose stone road behind me and throw a piece at the window I'm hoping like hell is hers. I'll admit to being a bit surprised that her light isn't on, I wouldn't have thought she'd be asleep so soon. I'd assumed she'd be partying with her friends, the classmates she's told me about, having fun on this Friday night. I assumed I'd be crashing. I might be waking her up.

I fling another piece of gravel at her window, unwilling to call out quite yet in case I wake an irate CAA student up. While I'm a bit miffed that I was passed up on for CAA myself, I can't say I'm at all surprised: my portfolio was absolute rubbish, and this is a school famous for only accepting the best, after all.

I hit the window with a third piece of gravel, and, miracle of miracles, it opens, a light flickering on and looking blindingly bright in the dark of the rest of the building.

"Ah!" I cry, seeing a very familiar silhouette breaking up the light. "What light through yonder window breaks? It is the sun, and my Juliet is the moon!"

"Whoever it is down there," an irritated and still-beautiful sounding voice calls down to me, "stop hitting my window with things and rack off."

She's said worse to me in my time. Even since we started dating. _Especially_ since we started dating.

"I was going to ask you to rise and kill the treacherous day," I call back to her, "but I think maybe I'll let you sleep."

She pauses in her efforts to close the window, and looks down more closely into the darkness.

"…Phil?"

"Your one and only Romeo, my darling," I tell her, taking an elaborate bow as I step further into the circle of light provided by her window.

She shrieks for a moment before clapping a hand to her mouth slamming her window shut. I can see her run from the window but she doesn't turn the light off, and moments later I hear the door buzz as the lock disengages. Within seconds I'm through the door and into the light glow of the corridor lights, tearing up stairs as quietly as I can manage. We meet about halfway, and my lips meet hers instantly. I don't care that it's only been a month and a half – it's been too long. Neither of us can seem to be bothered moving, we just sink into each others arms on the staircase right then and there, caught up in the emotion of the reunion.

"I missed you," she whispers, when we finally break apart after what feels like days.

"I missed you too, koibito," I tell her, fighting back tears as I run a finger down the side of her face. "This whole long distance thing is harder than it looks, huh?"

"It doesn't feel very long distance at the moment," she reminds me, and kisses me again for emphasis. I'm more than willing to return the sentiment.

It's not until the first vestiges of the morning light peek in through the stairwell window that I become aware of how long we've been lying here. "Hey, sweetie, we should probably move," I tell her, suiting actions to words until I feel my muscles groan in complaint from the awkward position I've been propped up in all night. "But actually, here's pretty good."

She chuckles against my neck. "I think here's pretty good too. Would you like to go to my room?"

I smile. "I think that might be a good move."

She sighs and starts tracing lazy patterns on my shirt with her finger. "I'm glad you're here."

I inhale the sweet smell of her hair and let the feeling of contentment simply wash over me. "I'm glad I'm here too."

"I hate it here," she whispers against my chest, and I feel her tense up a little. I quirk an eyebrow she can't see. This is news. "Everyone's so…pretentious."

"Well, you picked a school full of people who want to be professional artists. Ego comes with the territory," I point out.

"_You_ want to be a professional artist," she reminds me, wryly.

"Just so I have an excuse for cashing my welfare cheque," I tell her, sagely.

She laughs before settling back down a little. "I just don't know if I fit in here, Phil. I thought it would be this big, eye-opening experience, but instead it's just…lonely. I miss everyone. I miss Friday nights at the arcade with you guys. I miss talking to Lil over smoothies. I miss Dil's weird inventions, I miss Tommy's whining, I miss Chuckie more than I can explain." She looks up at me and our eyes meet. I can see tears filling hers. "I miss you."

I feel my own tears starting to overflow their bounds. "I miss you, too. Every day, every minute. I didn't know how difficult this would be. How much I'd gotten to love every part of you that I now can't experience every day."

"It's all a part of growing up, I guess," she says. "We knew we were going to be apart, I just hope…"

"We survive?"

She seems to retreat from her eyes for a moment. "Will we?"

I breathe deeply. "I can't make any promises," I tell her, honestly, and hoping it's honesty that will be appreciated. "But what I do know is that nothing has ever made me happier than this moment: lying here, with you in my arms, doing nothing but talking and being together and being close. And I'm willing to put up with a month or two of absence to have that experience."

And then she says, "I love you."

And my heart stops in my throat.

"I love you too."

And like that, the conversation ends. She goes back to tracing patterns on my shirt. "So, not that I'm complaining, but what exactly brings you here?"

I smile. "Ah. That would be a little…personal project. I'm calling it 'Abduction as an experiment in sociology'."

She looks at me like I've finally cracked. "Pardon?"

"I kidnapped my friend Lor and dragged her here so she can finally get off her ass and tell the guy she's in love with that she loves him."

She smiles. "You're very actively interested."

I shrug. "Well, you know, I try to be a giver."

"I'm glad you've made a friend." She pauses for a moment. "Is she pretty?"

I look down at her, slightly taken aback. "I beg your pardon?"

"Never mind," she says quickly, trying rapidly to scooch away.

I pull her back up in my lap so we're now eye-to-eye. "Are you being insecure?"

She looks down again. "Yes."

At this point I make one of the biggest mistakes of my life to date: I chuckle. Just for a moment. Then it's back to the wiser façade of seriousness. She catches it anyway.

"Like I'm not allowed to be insecure?" she huffs.

I smile at her. "You're allowed. But there's no need. I only have eyes for you, and that's the way I want it to stay."

She finally relents and smiles back. "I know. I just…"

"Long distance, I get it."

"I know you'd never…"

"Good. I'm glad you know that."

We share a moment of just looking into each others eyes, and our enjoyment of seeing each other clearly in the ever increasing sunlight is rudely interrupted by a student tearing down the stairs almost tripping over us.

"Sorry guys," he says, "you probably shouldn't be sitting there."

I sigh and finally rise to my feet as he leaves. "He's probably right," I tell her, holding out a hand and helping her up. Both of us are a little wobbly – my legs have fallen asleep and are now protesting severely at this interruption. "Would you like me to buy you breakfast, my darling Juliet?"

She grins cheekily. "So this trip wasn't an entirely…selfless gesture for your new friend?" she asks.

I smile cautiously. "There might have been a few other…things that may have inspired me to drive a rather epic distance."

She takes my hand and starts pulling me up the stairs instead of down. "In that case, I think I have some pop-tarts to get energy reserves back up. You can buy me lunch. Or maybe dinner."

**---**

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